“Out in October,” a week of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transexual (LGBT) awareness and advocacy, was sponsored by the College of Wooster student group Allies and Queers (A&Q) this week.
“Out in October Week” began with a Movie Night on Oct. 6 in Lowry Lounge at 8p.m. and continues today with a Tie-Dye Festival in Lowry front circle. The week leads up to National Coming Out Day, which falls every year on Oct. 11. According to the founders of NCOD, Rob Eichberg, Ph.D. and Jean O’Leary, the day is meant “[to encourage] all people, of all sexual orientations, to ëtake your next step’ in living openly and powerfully on Oct. 11.”
Richard Pinkston, Treasurer of A&Q, stated that the members of the club “mostly consider [them]selves a political activist group which strives to raise awareness about various queer issues on campus.”
Pinkston added that they also “offer a safe and supporting forum for individuals to discuss any issues they may be facing regarding their sexuality or gender identity.”
According to their Web site, the goal of A&Q is to “highlight issues faced by members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community” with some of the primary goals including “reducing prejudice against the LGBT community, AIDS awareness, and creating a safe community where LGBT people and those questioning their sexuality can exist without any need to disguise their identity.”
This Sunday, Oct. 11, marks the inauguration ceremony of the alumni group “Going True” which will take place in Babcock Lounge from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. The event can be attended by college students, alumni and administration alike.
According to Daren Batke ’02, Chair of the Going True Steering Committee and Member of the Alumni Board, the gathering as well as the group Going True has received an extensive degree of support from the administration, as well as President Grant Cornwell.
Going True is a College of Wooster alumni group who have identified themselves as the College’s LGBT group and “will invariably represent the largest ëcore’ of our group, we want to be clear that parents of current and former students, faculty…and other constituents, be they trustees, staff, current faculty…are also a part of this group.”
Batke has stated that the Going True is “honored to join the rarefied circle” of alumni groups who advocate for LGBT causes and “further give back to Wooster because it has given each of us so much [as alumni of the College of Wooster].”
Lastly, Batke would like to state that the “inaugural events surrounding the weekend will serve to rally and mobilize [their] base, garner perspective about the way in which our collective can best organize to accomplish its tasks, and generally raise visibility and awareness to demonstrate that this group has formed and that it has garnered the necessary legitimacy to move forward.”
Finally, while the events of this weekend seem to, most importantly, relate to students and alumni of the LGBT spectrum, Going True would like to encourage all those interested to attend, and further said that one isn’t obliged to identify across the LGBT spectrum to participate and join our group as well as this weekends events.
Going True Board Chair Darren Batke said that “in fact, [they] encourage allies who are committed to the aims of [their] group to be equally and fully involved [in the events of this weekend].” An Open the Door Equality Rally will follow the inauguration† from 4 p.m. until 5 p.m. at the Gazebo in Downtown Wooster Square. All those interested in participating in the rally are invited to meet at 3:30 p.m. in front of Lowry, whereafter they will walk downtown as a group.
If you would like any information about Allies and Queers here in campus please feel free to contact Richard Pinkston, rpinkston13@wooster.edu, or simply attend one of their meetings in Babcock Lounge on Sundays at 5 p.m. Also, if you would like to contact Going True, please refer all questions to Daren Batke ’02 at batked@umich.edu.